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Leadership after Lenin's Death (STALIN (Strengths (Could be amiable +…
Leadership after Lenin's Death
STALIN
Strengths
Could be amiable + friendly
Reasonable + reliable
Could keep long-term weaknesses hidden
Vast knowledge of expanding party machinery
Good at gaining loyalty of subordinates
Close to Lenin during illness
Weaknesses
Man of violence
Intellectually inferior
Rude
Jealous
Played only a minor role in the 1917 revolution
Colleagues knew that Lenin had turned against him.
TROTSKY
Strengths
Second only to Lenin during civil war
Formidable political skills
Ruthless authority
Brilliant intellectual + theorist, speechmaker
Man of action, extraordinary organiser
Weaknesses
Many Bolsheviks feared him + red army
Originally a Menshevik, so 'Old Bolsheviks' suspicious of them
Arrogance + disdain for those below him, underestimated Stalin
Made no serious attempt to build a base of support within the party
Inconsistent and opportunist
Serious errors of judgement, indecisive
KAMANEV
Weaknesses
Reputation for inconsistency
Too closely linked to Zinoviev
Too soft, lacking the drive to be leader
Seriously underestimated his rivals
Strengths
Old Bolshevik close to Lenin
Strong power base in Moscow
Thoughtful + intelligent
ZINOVIEV
Strengths
'Old Bolshevik', respected
Had been high in Lenin's favour before 1924
Party boss in Leningrad
Weaknesses
Opposition to Lenin in the timing of the Bolshevik coup
Seriously underestimated opponents
He + Kamanev left it too late to switch their support to Trotsky
BUKHARIN
Strengths
Popular within the Party
Close to Lenin, friendly with Trotsky
Widely regarded as the best theocretician in the party
Was an expert on economics + agriculture, good about peasantry
Weaknesses
Had no power base because he tried to remain on good terms with everyone
Seriously underestimated Stalin + was more popular, making him a target for Stalin'd enmity.
Made tactical mistakes, ie. left it too late to make an alliance with Zinoviev and Kamanev
TOMSKY
Strengths
Respected, 'Old Bolshevik'
Working class origins = popular
Spokesman for trade unions = strong position
Natural ally of moderate leaders
Weaknesses
Hostile to Trotsky, which blinded him to the danger of Stalin
Power base in trade unions made him an obvious target for Stalin
RYKOV
Strengths
Old Bolshevik
Administrative ability in implementation of war commission
Weaknesses
Heavy taxes on vodka